This invention pertains to quick-connect pressurizable coupling having heads each unified with a pipe. It pertains particularly to a quick connect coupling assembly having male and female head parts which are each integrally attached by casting to pipe ends, the head parts being quickly clamped together to provide a pressurizable coupling between the pipes.
Quick-connect type couplings have been known and used for some time in various applications, such as for connecting together metal pipes for conveying water for temporary water supply, agricultural irrigation, and fire-fighting applications. The pipes are connected together in various ways in order to obtain convenient and safe conveyance of the water without significant leakage. If the pipe network is not permanent as for most irrigation installations, the connectors used for joining the pipes together are extremely important. In the past such piping connections have generally used flanges which were threaded or welded onto the pipes and connected to an adjacent flange by bolting. However, such joints require considerable labor and expense to construct and connect together and are thus undesirable. Also, quick-connect coupling heads have been previously connected to pipes by adhesive bonding or by welding. However, such connections require a separate manufacturing step and are often subject to some leakage. For this reason, various quick-connect couplings having head parts which are integrally attached to the end of pipes have been needed. Research effort has been conducted to discover an improved and efficient method for joining coupling heads to pipes and for joining together such coupling units to provide an improved coupling assembly. Use of such coupling units allows rapid, safe and inexpensive construction of a required piping network.